It is known to provide packaging containers for products such as beverages, hygiene articles and the like, with relief-like surface contours in the side wall region for achieving high-quality product presentation and/or improved handling. This can in particular with plastic containers contribute to stiffening the container wall as well as enhancing the appearance and the feel of the container. Added value for the container can in general thereby be achieved by a relief-like surface contour, for example, an ornamental structure.
Furthermore, containers are known to be printed onto for the purpose of labeling and/or ornamenting, for example, with characters, logos, patterns and coloring. For this purpose, for example, WO 03/002349 A2 discloses a method for ink-jet printing onto substantially cylindrical container side walls. Methods are also known according to which the relief-like surface contour of a container is printed onto using a direct printing method. For example, the relief-like surface contours, differing from the cylindrical shape of the container side walls, are there printed onto by use of an ink-jet printing process. The surface portions that are slanted relative to the cylindrical shape are there provided with the direct print.
The drawback here is that even small changes in position of the container relative to the print head result in significant deterioration of the print result. For example, a kind of double image is created when the direct print is shifted relative to the relief-like surface contour. The value of the container and therefore also the value of the product contained therein is thereby reduced.